The RCJ was pleased to welcome Hu Meena, President/CEO of C Spire
Hu Meena is the President/CEO of C Spire, the largest privately held wireless carrier and the sixth largest carrier in the nation. Mr. Meena is responsible for the strategic direction of the brand and casting the vision for our team.
Mr. Meena has had numerous accolades to include 25 Most Powerful People in Wireless and Wireline, AITP Mississippian of the Year, and Business Person of the Year.
C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides premium experiences designed specifically for its customers, including wireless communications, high-speed Internet access and a range of other telecommunications products and services to consumers and businesses.
Mr. Meena opened with a quote from Milton Friedman “There is one and only one social responsibility of business–to use it resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud” and then added more simply “It’s all BS until the cash register rings”; to illustrate the point that while C Spire is a successful company, it’s ability to help and influence people is dependent on the Company’s success.
C Spire focuses on many areas of MS development through educational scholarships, baseball and little leagues, music festival and others. C Spire is focused on developing programs that promote/teach coding to escalate the technology revolution in MS. Technology is going to progress driven by software development, which magnifies the importance of coding. Mr. Meena then quoted from a Ted Talk given by Billy Graham to highlight the effect that technological advances can have on a generation. Rev. Graham said, “the nation of the people of Israel had a tremendous and dramatic change that made them a great power in the Near East. A man by the name of David came to the throne, and King David became one of the great leaders of his generation. He was a man of tremendous leadership.” Graham continued to state that a couple hundred years prior to David, the Hittites discovered the smelting of iron. Yet, it was David who introduced the iron age to Israel. Instead of sticks and stones, Israel began to possess weapons and industrial tools. In one generation, Israel was completely transformed from a settling people to a regional power. He then said, “technology is our tool, not our end goal”.
Mr. Meena used this example to illustrate how quickly technology is evolving and how it is a critical part of our participation in the future profitability especially as it relates to MS leading industry, agriculture. To do so, C Spire is focusing on three areas:
1. Motivating young people to pursue careers in coding.
2. Ensuring that they are prepared with tools necessary for coding development.
3. Providing opportunities for Mississippians of all ages to see how technology can affect the economy.
Technology will change all industries. Technical proficiencies is critical to economic growth.
“Mississippi has tremendous potential to be a leader in the new digital economy. With our rich history, growing technology infrastructure and passion for innovation, we are well positioned to take full advantage of the next generation of quantum change that will be driven by the Internet and impact every aspect of our nation’s culture, society and quality of life.”